Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 21 Entries. Sunday, January 1 View Page Hello growing diary 2023! It feels like it’s been an age but good to be back. In reality I didn’t stop - but a house move and trying to set up a new plot from scratch, it’s been a case of burning the candle at both ends trying to get into a position of being able to grow “something”. So where we at?   Monday, January 2 View Page Well, the house is an old one - a pub from 17th century that only stoped being a pub in the 1970s. The stories I bet it could tell. But some land to boot, ready to be converted to a growing area. Unfortunately anywhere you stand, the land is shaded by this tree - which has a whopping crack in it.   Saturday, July 1 View Page It’s been a struggle to get to this point now in July; but we’re here. Tree cutting required planning which took months. Irrigation lines laid in from the house so the plot has water, two smaller greenhouses up and a 50 ft polytunnel. Playing catch up, I had transplants ready before the structures - so they went into the ground months before and then structures were built around them. Instead of agonising over if my plants have x, y and other pampering - time is being spend trying to get basics done. Water. Roof. Soil tests (but not amended yet)   Monday, July 10 View Page I’ve a tunnel! With plastic and everything! Pic a few days old now. Doors are on. Soil has has seaweed meal and rock dust. (Asomite equiv). Amends based on soil test yet to be done. Have at last found a potential supplier of manure. Visiting tomorrow but will grow out some broad beans to check for contamination before I apply x tons to the surface.   Saturday, July 22 View Page Soil here is a sandy loam, rather than the heavy clay I’m used to growing on. Lots of different plants are showing various signs of similar mineral deficiency here; magnesium and manganese, confirmed via tissues tests. Foliar treatment for both applied, but the green hasn’t returned to the leaves. Is that normal? Hope I’d see colour return and know that it’s working.   Saturday, July 22 View Page Some types of plants worse impacted than others   Saturday, July 22 View Page It is what it is for this year. Good soil takes time. We have to start from somewhere. This year - it’s a super restricted grow as I’m spending so much time doing infrastructure stuff. Undercover spaces, water butts, irrigation pipers, rain water collection. So I’m growing mostly, er. Giant Aubergines. Eggplants. To ring the changes. I’m no expect, but giving it a go. Some early blooms set:   Saturday, July 22 View Page And here too. A few others set, others yet to be set. There are some good blooms, but with soil at such an early stage of being amended, I’m a bit doubtful they reach their full potential this season. I’ve opted to grow multi stemmed - it’s meant good bloom selection possibilities, but sets need to be made now and fruit is too low to the ground so I’d move that fwd next year. Hope to get some giant tomatoes in next season, as I can take more plants on once infrastructure up - and I’ve some cracking tomato seeds to try out. None of the 9.44 Sutherland Domingo line or today’s 17.09 Sutherland, but if your reading Dan I’d be keen! :) Hope everyone’s season has been going well, apologies for radio silence as I tried to wrestle a new plot into some kind of order, but good to be back. Grow ‘em big.   Friday, August 25 View Page Oh no; calamity for one of my giant aubergines that was a contender for Malvern. Slipped it’s sling, and separated from the top with 3 plus weeks of growing left in it. A new pb for me 2.7kg.   Friday, August 25 View Page Bottom view   Saturday, August 26 View Page Well, here’s a bit of random cool…A 3D scan using an iPhone of my aubergine from the other day and a trial of an app called Polycam. It was just such an awesomely funky shape. https://poly.cam/capture/C9D7EAEE-0D1C-4E2E-A002-BDD9B403437E   Tuesday, September 5 View Page 2.435 dmg for the next giant aubergine; has had a skin split for a long time and I thought it might hold, but recently started showing soft rot on the split (imagine current high heat has not helped!)   Tuesday, September 5 View Page Soft rot set in on the crack eventually   Monday, September 11 View Page Well; there goes another! Noticed a soft spot this am. 3.193kg dmg giant aubergine - 11 days before the UK Malvern show (National Championship show). Arg.   Monday, September 11 View Page A few items for scale - it was a big beast! One of those things. I would have picked it before now if not for the show.   Monday, September 11 View Page Evening post picking tipple. 169 grams off current WR (but obviously dmg)   Tuesday, September 19 View Page Well, earlier in the week, I was out. A new pb giant aubergine - dmg at 3.71kg - and above the current WR weight of 3.362kg. I would have picked a few weeks ago, but tried to hold it for the U.K. national veg championships at Malvern this weekend. It developed a soft spot size of a ten pence piece. Nothing but admiration for those that successfully time for show dates. Next time - set later! All the very best for those competing (that was my last one) - good luck!   Tuesday, September 19 View Page Beer can for scale.   Tuesday, September 19 View Page Good size   Tuesday, September 19 View Page And soft spot in question. Things i learnt about giant aubergines this season:. 1. Cracks aren’t fatal but you are on borrowed time. 2. They blow up. Pretty sure I went from 15 plants to dmg on all (but trying to hold for a given date) with wilt, splits and soft rot 3. Competitive lines are yet to be established. This came out of a generic seed packet from France (monster of New York) 4. Megablooms are rare, but not unheard of. 5. Seed production is poor. There were just 8 viable seeds out of the 3.7kg fruit. More from others but less than tomatoes. 6. A lot of plants just got Verticillium Wilt. Grafting might help. 7. Splits aren’t just from watering. Soil nutrients, temperature extremes as well as watering can all do it. Any questions just shout. Although I’m not talking to aubergines right now…   Tuesday, September 19 View Page And soft spot in question. Things i learnt about giant aubergines this season:. 1. Cracks aren’t fatal but you are on borrowed time. 2. They blow up. Pretty sure I went from 15 plants to dmg on all (but trying to hold for a given date) with wilt, splits and soft rot 3. Competitive lines are yet to be established. This came out of a generic seed packet from France (monster of New York) 4. Megablooms are rare, but not unheard of. 5. Seed production is poor. There were just 8 viable seeds out of the 3.7kg fruit. More from others but less than tomatoes. 6. A lot of plants just got Verticillium Wilt. Grafting might help. 7. Splits aren’t just from watering. Soil nutrients, temperature extremes as well as watering can all do it. Any questions just shout. Although I’m not talking to aubergines right now…